Bicycle



UNITED STATES \VILLIAM F. STOLL, OF POCAHONTAS, VIRGINIA.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 587,069, dated July 27, 1897.

Application filed December 4,, 1896. Serial No. 614,437. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. STOLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pocahontas, in the county of Tazewell and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bicycles and Similar Vehicles, of which the following is afull and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to bicycles and similar vehicles; and the object thereof is to provide a vehicle of this class with sprocketwheels which are revolubly mounted on the shaft of the drive-wheel and on the pedalshaft and which are adapted to engage, respectively, with the hub of the drive-wheel and with a disk or head on the pedal-shaft and to be disconnected from said engagement,

whereby the drive-wheel may be allowed to revolve without turning the sprocket-wheels.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which'the accompanying drawings form a part, in which Figure 1 is a side view 'of a portion of the frame of an ordinary bicycle provided with my improvement and showing the sprocketwheels and pedals and pedal-shaft connected therewith; Fig. 2, a plan View of the same with the sprocket-wheels, pedals, and pedalshaft removed; Fig. 3, a sectional plan view of the supports for the shaft of the drivewheel, showing my improved construction connected therewith; and Fig. d, a similar View of the support of the pedal-shaft and the parts connected therewith.

In the drawings forming part of this specificationthe separate parts of myimprovement are indicated by the same numerals of reference throughout the several views, and in said drawings I have shown in Fig. 1 the main parts of the frame of a bicycle, said frame being of the usual diamond form and being provided with the shaft 5, on which the drivewheel is mounted and with the ends of which are connected upright rods 6, which extend upwardly to the seat-support, and the horizontal rods '7, which extend from the lower ends of the rods (i forwardly to the support of the pedal-shaft.

The forward ends of the rods '7 are connected with the usual hub 8, through which 9 is the ordinary sprocket-wheel 12, which is provided on its inner side with a hub 13, on which are formed ratchet-teeth 14, which are adapted to engage with the teeth 11 on the end of the disk or head 10.

The pedal-shaft 9 is provided at each end with the usual pedal-cranks 15, the heads of which are secured to the ends of the shafts, and between the head of the pedal-crank adjacent to the sprocket-wheel 12 is mounted a spiral spring 1 6,and the function of this spring is to force the sprocket-wheel 12 inwardly, so that the ratchet-teeth on the hub 5 will engage with those on the disk or head 10 on'the pedal-shaft. The rear sprocket-wheel 17 is also revolubly mounted on the shaft of the drive-Wheel of the vehicle, and between said sprocket-wheel and the adjacent side rod 6 of the frame is a spiral spring 18, which operates to force said sprocket-wheel inwardly, and in Fig. 3 I have shown at 19 the hub of the drive-wheel, which is provided at its opposite ends with circular disks 20, with which the spokes of the wheel are connected, and one of said disks is provided on its outer side wit-h ratchet-teeth 21, and the sprocket-wheel 17 is provided on its inner surface with ahub 22, which is provided with ratchet-teeth 23, which are adapted to engage with the ratchetteeth 21, and in practice the spring 18 forces the sprocket-wheel 17 inwardly, so that the ratchet-teeth 21 and 23 engage, as hereinbefore described.

Revolubly mounted in suitable keepers connected with the frame is a rod 24:, which extends upwardly and forwardly from the support of the drive-wheel and which is provided at its upper end with a handle 25, which projects at right angles thereto, and at its lower end with a curved or hook-shaped head 26, and inthe normal position of the parts the sprocket-wheel 17 on the shaft of the drivewheel is forced inwardly by the spring 18 and the hub thereof engages with the hub of said drive-wheel and said parts are held together, and this is also true of the sprocket-wheel l2 and the disk or head 10 on the pedal-shaft,

IOO

and the operation of these parts will be the same as in bicycles or similar vehicles of the usual construction. I also provide a vertically-supported rod 27, which is mounted in suitable keepers connected with the frame and which is provided at its upper end with a crank 28 and at its lower end with an arm 29, which is adapted to bear on the inner side of the sprocket-wheel 12, and by turning the rod 27, by means of the crank 28, the sprocketwheel 12 will be forced outwardly 011 the pedalshaft and disconnected from the disk or head 10, and said sprocket-wheel will revolve independently of the pedal-shaft in the same manner as the sprocket-wheel 17 on the shaft of the drive-wheel.

By turning the rod it by means of the crank or handle 25 the sprocket-wheel 17 is disconnected from the hub of the drive wheel, and whenever it is desired to "eoast or when the vehicle is going downhill both the sprocket-wheels may be thrown out of gear, as described, and the drive-wheel will revolve independently of said sprocket-wheels and the drive-chain and the pedals may be held stationary. I also provide means for revolving the sprocket-wheel 12 by hand, and for this purpose I form thereon on the inner side thereof, a flange or rim 30, which is provided with ratchet-teeth ill, and pivoted to one of the rods of the frame at 32 is a lever 33, which extends upwardly through a longitudinal keeper 31-, secured to the upper horizontal rod 35 of the frame.

The lever is provided at its upper end with a handle 87, and pivotally connected with the'lower end thereof, at 38, is an arm 39, which is provided at its free end with a downwardly-directed hook or projection IO, and by moving the upper end of the lever forwardly and baekwardly the arm 39 of said lever will revolve the sprocket-wheel 12, the hook 40 opening in connection with the ratchet-teeth 31,

My invention is not limited to the exact form and construction of the rods 2t and 27,

and said rods may be connected with the frame in any desired manner, the only object in this connection being to so form said rods and to connect them with the frame in such manner that they maybe operated so as to break the connection between the sprocketwheel 17 and the hub of the drive-wheel and between the sprocket-wheel 12 and the disk or head 10 on the pedal-shaft, and it will also be apparent that other changes in and modifications of the construction herein described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Iatent The combination with the pedal-shaft, and the shaft of the drive-wheel of a bicycle or similar vehicle, of a sprocket-wheel revolubly mounted on each of said shafts, said sprocketwhcels being each provided at its inner surfacewith ratchet-teeth which are adapted to engage with ratchet-teeth formed on the hub of the drivcwheel, and 011 a disk or head secured to the pcdalshaft, a spring mounted on each of said shafts for forcing the said wheels inwardly, and means connected with the frame of the vehicle for forcing said wheels outwardly, the sprocket-wheel on the pedal-shaft being also provided on its inner side with an annular flange or rim having ratchet-teeth formed thereon, and said frame of the vehicle being provided with a lever having a pivoted arm which is adapted to operate in connection with said ratchet-teeth for revolving said sprocket-wheel, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscril'iing witnesses, this 26th day of November, 1896.

\VILLIAM F. STOLL.

\Vitnesses:

W. E. BURNETT, W. W. FRENCH. 

